The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-12
THEODORE M0MMSEN.
THE FOREMOST HISTORIAN OF THE
PRESENT DAY.
His Achievements in Historical schol-
arship--Studiee OF the Ancient Roman
Government--The Authority OF HIS
Conclusions Work in Hand.
From the New YORK post.

Conclusions Work in Hand.
From the New YORK Post
Prof Mommsen yesterday celebrated the
SEVENTEEN anniversary OF his birth. 4
most tlattcring address, conveying the CON
CALCULATIONS OF AS learned celebrities OF
Europe and America, was presented 10
him, together with q bust of himself, by
BegaS Other nations will not be behind
hand in congratulations and homageto the
man who has DOM more than any other
living person 10 unlock the treasures of the
mast and make them the possession oilhe
present generation.
Il is handy too much 10 say that our
knowledge OF the history ot Rome, IN
everything hut It's most superficial facts,
Ne owe "a Theodore NommScn. This W.
ssy without di>paNgvmCnt TO the great
name II Niehulu, a man of equal genius,
of equally pn,iuund AMI extensive scholar
shin, aud who did q work without which
thsi 81 Momm>cn Nould have been impoS-
siblc. NichGhT cltaICl the ground for the
MASTER builder. hy putting an cnd lorcVcr
IL the implirij faith which had until
then grCyaiitsl in the jrldiucnary
History 81 Rome. Ills work was crit
lrai and dcSir'rayc he showed rloSrlN
shat Roman hisiOyl was not; but when
IL came g. determining What II was, hr
nccCeSarily iailcd partly because the ma
tCilals Wcrc inadequate. iNrilY hccause 10
vas not Vet possible Co s-c them IN their
trllc relation 20 zach Other. 4 generation
had % ynss IN further inv,S; cation. Criii-
cisul and attempts az reconstruction on
thc hasis oi Nicluhis work, before the
early history oi Rome could he SEN In ~
truc light THE scholars who performed
this rather thankic-s ilsk, who hlcd ihr
rnr~ bciWcsn Nici'uhr AMI Momm~,n
tsotllinr. Rckkcr, Walter. llusohkc, Ru.
hno. and other D.pdrp'd q great Scryicl
o. his;urlca ~lcuro, tuL Cor the NOS
part. raihU IN special paints 81 detail than
IN fundamental Tr.ncplrS. Moreover, at
al them woV auuqnarialIs rather than his
torians Bulina. indeed. one oi The most
philosophical and logical minds that have
ever devoted themselves 90 historical
study, developed q theory OF the earl,
Roman stale which IL essentially that upon
which Mommsen has constructed his hrs
iury, the distinguished historian y never
slow 20 arknoWicdFc IN Indebtedness, 60
tie obscure Marhurv professor But the
work which remained Co bp done could De-
accomplished only boy one who was Of onrr
an antiquarian Ike Becker, philnsophi-
cn thinker likr RuhinO. and a man oi run-
siruriivc historical Imagination.
n Is the combination oi these three
qualities thai las made Mommscn the
foremost historian oi biz Time and enabled
him o. accomplish o WORK which will never
lave 81 d. done over again For we have
no hesitation IN saving. nui that he % right
in every particular. hui thai the cOnrcp.
49, It.frfss I..ss. ,.N.t.I. A.. -.
made familiar viii hold IT, plnrp o. toe
cor1cci one. What tls conception u %
would take too bong 90 define IN IT, com.
plc;cuesS; but IsflIaTs the best tribute We
eau n.ndcr 81 thc gn.i man h 81 point ont
H. heading FEATURES iho~e IN which hi.
genius j. most cpnspirnous'y scen.
In the busy icId ui scholarship IL !.
rash to assert ior any individual worker
absolute originality Ia any particular parl
al his work. The merit oi each consists
largely In the skihiul usc of the results
reached by other. liut W. think We av
not wrong Ia claiming iuf Momniscn The
cUdit of having brcn the hni a. apply a.
historical science The comparative mctbOd
which hal Just brrn elaborated in the field
OF philOogy. just here We find an 60
pccially interesting point Of comparison
with Nichuhr, iur whom the comparative
method WIS impossible, because, when hc
wrote, the science of comparative philOloy
dill not exist. tine ot Nichuhrs most
plausible attempts ~ reconstruction his
famous Pclasgun THEORY ruuii never have
been advanced after the relations oi the
lndo European languages to one another
had become established Where Nicbuhr
begins with his incinniing but unsound
theory, Momm-cn opens with q discussion
oi the stages IN civilization reached by the
Italian nations and their ancestors NJ sue
ccssiyc periods his thcor, being based up.
on comparison ol languages somewhat
similar 90 that upon which Nichuhr
founded his hypothesis These paragraphs
may seem triic and inadequate NJ the prs.
ent day, but they were the tint attempt ia
arrive at historical truth by this method.
and they display dcgrc Of sobriciy ~
well ~ ingenuity which are unusual IN
discussions oi this Kind
The early institution. NJ Rome arr repn.
senicdby Mommscn irpm the point Of view
81 primitive tribal rncici, a point IL Anew
familiar enough nov, hui then novel and
imIvricc,ly developed II Il may be- said
that u h just in thr,o early institution.
that Mommsrns theory has been mos
modified by later Investigations, ant
just this paH Of his work that has COM
nearest Ia bcing superseded. u must ne
bc forgotten that be- WINS the pioneer II
this field, too, nnd thai the subsequent ad
vance las been ulun the lines traced l.,
him. The general outlines ol the politica
system firmly -kcirhrd iu his lint book ~
main unalicpd. AMI % would hc harl 4
giVc the sul~i1uvy 90. this matter mon
clearly AMI correctly than Il l. given then
La 1t. L..
supplement u iu certain respects aud mod
rs some details.
One theory ut Nummssn's In relation
the foundation III Rome excited much dt
cus-ion nj the time ui NJ appearance. an
was very generally pjccted. hut j. no
tnCiuy assumed Hs matter oi cuuf,,eH M
early commercial aciiyii, 1T Rome. II ",
upon this fact iir,t brought out hy Momn
zen, that Mr. IuldNm smiths admirab
article n few years ago in the Contcu
pOr,ry Review was based. and Il iorns III
controlling idea IN the treatment oi III
early republic 10y Nitl.rh. the writer wi
hns, perhaps. m1c than any other suppl,
mcnted Mommscn Tor this period.
Tie theories which We have spoken
above were presented IN his hrt edit,
lin 1871 with as much iullncss aud ,lcH
iicncss ~ IN ihccnlaucd work familiar
the readers Of the present day. when
comes Ia the sketch ~ the political cons
tuition OF the monarchy aud early ppubli
on the other hand, We note mark,
rhangc AZ lint Mommscn was ia wi
NJ that time could iail Ia bc2-ycry mu,
under the influence 1T Nicbuhr HUT
the subject dwcli In his mind, he eau
by degrees 10 depart more and mo
from Niebuhrs view, aud, after some slig